ETUC Roadmap for the Future of Europe

The ETUC Roadmap for the Future of Europe

Adopted at the Executive Committee of 13 and 14 June 2017

Background

On 1 March 2017, the President of the European Commission launched a reflection on the Future of Europe, involving the EU 27 Member States after Brexit, by publishing a White Paper to be followed by a series of Reflection Papers.

In April and May 2017, Reflection Papers on the Social Dimension of Europe, on Harnessing Globalisation, and on the Deepening of the EMU were published; others on the EU Finances, and Security and Defence, are going to be published in the upcoming months.

On 26 April 2017, the European Commission published a set of documents establishing a European Pillar of Social Rights, including two 1^st stage social partners’ consultations ex art. 155 of the TFEU.

On 25 March 2017, the Prime Ministers and Heads of State of EU 27 gathered in Rome for the 60^th Anniversary of the Treaty of Rome, and signed the so-called Rome Declaration on the Future of Europe.

In order to actively participate in this process, the ETUC has adopted its own Platform on the Future of Europe (here), summarising the trade union analyses and proposals to build up a better and social Europe for working people.

The ETUC Platform is based on previously adopted positions and resolutions, as the Paris Congress Manifesto, and Strategy and Action Plan; the ETUC Plan for Investment, ‘A New Path for Europe’, and the Social Progress Protocol; the ETUC Action Plan, following up on priorities set in Congress.

At the Mid-Term Conference, on 29-31 May in Rome, the ETUC Rome Declaration (here) was adopted, delivering an in-depth analysis of recent developments in Europe, and setting out 5 key priorities:

Investment for sustainable growth and quality job creation, and quality public services.
Pay rises and upward wage convergence, through stronger collective bargaining, social dialogue and workers’ participation.
Just transition towards a low-carbon economy, sustainable digitalisation and automation, fair globalisation, a progressive trade agenda, and the future of work.
A more social Europe and stronger social rights, through a strong European Pillar of Social Rights which makes life better for workers, and a Social Progress Protocol.
Action to fight social and wage dumping and achieve full equal treatment and integration, through fair mobility and migration in a just internal market.

The ETUC Rome Declaration was also advocating for EU institutions to be more democratic, transparent, accountable and efficient, since workers and citizens want to feel their voice heard by decision makers, and that EU and national governance can be influenced by them.

Based on these documents, the Executive Committee adopted the ETUC Roadmap for the Future of Europe, setting a series of actions for achieving the objectives linked to the key priorities mentioned above, and for addressing the initiatives launched by the European institutions.

Such actions are described more in detail in specific positions and resolutions, adopted by the Executive Committee; this Roadmap is meant as a summary aimed at drawing the whole picture of the ETUC strategy for the Future of Europe.

Investment for sustainable growth and quality job creation, and quality public services.

Achieving more robust public and private investment for quality job creation, by relaunching the ETUC Investment Plan ‘A New Path for Europe’[1], and negotiating improvements in the second-phase Juncker Plan.
Achieving more flexibility in public spending and investment, through a targeted reform of the Stability and Growth Pact, on the basis of the ETUC position paper[2].
Introducing a EU/EMU Treasury, on the basis of the ETUC position paper[3].
The fight against tax avoidance, on the basis of the ETUC position paper[4].
The Common Consolidated Corporate Tax Base as a means to avoid accounting arbitrage for tax purpose and tax dumping, on the basis of the ETUC position paper[5].
The Capital Markets Union, the fight for better regulation and against the securitisation technique, on the basis of the ETUC position paper[6].
Effective involvement of social partners in the EU economic governance and EU Semester, through best practices introduced by the ETUC Toolkit[7], with the view of making the Semester more social-friendly and focused on enforcing workers’ and social rights.

Pay rises and upward wage convergence, through stronger collective bargaining, social dialogue and workers’ participation.

Delivering the ETUC Pay Rise Campaign[8], through:

Widespread and coordinated collective bargaining rounds for pay rise at all levels, with wages in line with inflation and productivity developments.
Action for increasing minimum wages and strengthening minimum wage systems, where they exist.
Action for defending/strengthening/establishing collective bargaining systems, particularly at national/sectoral level.
Enlarging collective bargaining coverage at all levels, including for non-standard work.
Stopping unwanted interventions coming from institutions in collective bargaining and minimum wage systems.
Establishing legal frameworks and capacity building tools for delivering strong collective bargaining, and minimum wage systems where relevant.
Action for wage upward convergence between countries, sectors, and within multinational companies and supply chains.
Closing gender pay gaps, fighting unjustified discriminatory minimum wages for young workers, and addressing any other wage discrimination.
Relaunching and strengthening the ETUC cooperation and coordination of collective bargaining among countries, in order to achieve the above-mentioned objectives.

Relaunching European and national social dialogue, through:

A sound work programme, based on concrete results to be delivered.
Realistic and effective social partners’ negotiations which deliver.
Enforcement and implementation of the existing social partners’ agreements and related legislation.
Capacity building for reinforcing social dialogue, particularly at national level.

Strengthening workers’ participation at all levels, through:

Improving the Directive on European Works Councils by taking up the 10 ETUC demands, on the basis of the ETUC position paper[9].
New EU framework on information, consultation and board-level representation rights is needed, a new and integrated architecture for workers’ involvement in European companies and companies[10].

Just transition towards a low-carbon economy, sustainable digitalisation and automation, fair globalisation, a progressive trade agenda, and the future of work.

Delivering just transition towards a low-carbon economy, through:

Support to the Paris Agreement (in cooperation with the ITUC) by sticking to the commitments made by implementing an ambitious EU 2030 climate and energy policy framework.
A Just Transition Fund for managing climate change and moving towards a green and low-carbon economy.
Cooperation with the ITUC on global strategies for just transition.

Managing digitalisation and automation in a sustainable manner, based on job creation, protection of workers’ rights, skills updating and social protection, sustained by public funding and taxation
Delivering the ETUC initiative for a progressive and fair trade agenda, to be negotiated with the European Commission and all other trade union partners and institutional interlocutors over the world.
Participating in the process for implementation of the ILO initiative on the Future of Work, through EU level initiatives, including a strong and concrete European Pillar of Social Rights, and trade union organising, particularly targeting non-standard work.
Ensuring implementation of the Agenda 2030 of the United Nation, by fully applying the Sustainable Development Goals within the EU.

A more social Europe and stronger social rights, through a strong European Pillar of Social Rights which makes life better for workers, and a Social Progress Protocol.

Supporting a strong European Pillar of Social Rights which makes life better for workers, through:

Lobbying Member States for a fast proclamation of the EPSR, by pushing governments for implementation in practice and for strong involvement of social partners at all levels.
Framing the EPSR in the EU Semester, by turning it into an Economic and Social Semester by introducing positive and effective social recommendations, setting standards and targets for upward convergence and enforcement of social rights.
Fully implementing the package of legislative and non-legislative initiatives to promote a better work-life balance and gender equality.
Improving the floor of rights for all categories of workers and guaranteeing non-regression, reducing precariousness at work and boosting quality job creation, ensuring universal access to and adequacy of social protection systems – by implementing the legislative initiatives on Written Statement and Social Protection, but also by promoting any new initiative which would serve this purpose.
Enforcing existing rights and legal instruments in the framework of the EU ‘social acquis’, via all available legislative and non-legislative tools.

Relaunching the ETUC initiative for a Social Progress Protocol[11], as an essential part of and condition for any possible Treaty change – if no Treaty change happens, exploring other possible legislative initiatives, to ensure that social rights and economic freedoms have the same level of importance in the EU rules and practices.

Action to fight social and wage dumping and achieve full equal treatment and integration, through fair mobility and migration in a just internal market.

Fighting against social, wage and tax dumping and for fair and chosen mobility in a just internal market, through:

Ensuring full equal treatment, e. ‘the same wage for the same work at the same place’, as well as upward convergence of wages in Europe, between countries and sectors, via legislative and non-legislative initiatives and action.
Negotiating for a fair and satisfactory revision of the Posting of Workers Directive and of Regulation 883/2004 on Coordination of Social Security Systems, and lobbying Member States in this sense, including the most reluctant ones.
Preventing operation of letter-box companies, by promoting the ‘real seat’ approach and assessment of genuine economic activities of companies, facilitating effective exchange of information and cooperation between authorities of Member States.
Strengthening capacities of controlling and enforcement authorities of Member States.

Advocating for a fair and just EU migration and asylum policy, through:
1. Achieving a sound asylum policy in line with international laws and obligations, based on welcoming, solidarity, responsibility and redistribution, through all legislative and non-legislative available tools, and also the revision of the Dublin Regulations.
2. Developing an effective international cooperation policy with the countries of origin, backed by appropriate funding.
3. Setting an effective integration policy, based on full equal treatment, non-discrimination, respect of rights, and balanced in offering job opportunities and social protection benefits to both native workers and migrants.
4. Revising the EU legal framework on migration in a coordinated way and on the basis of such principles.
5. Reinforcing social partners action, capacity building and networks for integration.